Shadowy campaign funding for Greens

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The Greens have demanded more accountability and transparency
from political parties in elections, but this has not stopped some
in their own party using complex and opaque methods to channel
campaign funds.

The Herald has learnt the Queensland Greens have had
debts of $174,000 forgiven by an incorporated associated entity,
the Queensland Environmental Consumers Organisation. Documents
lodged with the Australian Electoral Office list debts forgiven to
the Greens in 1998-99, 2001-02 and 2003-04. The group does not
appear on any company register and has no website.

Mr Richard Nielsen, whose name appears as the financial
controller of the group, said forgiving the debt was a "way by
which the effort of individuals could be recognised and billed to
the Australian Electoral Commission". Because the money was
forgiven debt, it attracted no tax, he said.

The organisation was a group of individuals who were mostly
Greens who worked on the party's election campaigns, he said.

"There was always a bit of a risk of a falling-out between the
individuals, and then the Greens would have to pay the election
bills incurred," Mr Nielsen said.

The unsuccessful Greens Senate candidate in the 2004 election,
Drew Hutton, said the Queensland Environmental Consumers
Organisation was not used to hide donors but he was "not sure why
it had a different name" from the Queensland Greens.

Minutes of a Queensland Greens meeting on August 8, 2002, showed
Mr Hutton moved that "we approve the donations be made to the
Rainforest Information Centre who will re-route the money to the
Queensland Greens". A leaked email four days later from Mr Nielsen
cautioned against this being recorded in the minutes and they were
removed.

Mr Hutton said the donation plan was considered but said the
Greens decided against it.

Mr Hutton and Mr Nielsen said as far as they knew, the
Queensland Environmental Consumers Organisation did not take
donations from developers.

At a parliamentary committee hearing earlier this month, the
Greens leader, Senator Bob Brown, said "no donation was laundered
through the Rainforest Information Centre".